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“My name is Sakris Kupila. I’m a 21 year old medical student from Finland. I was a teenager when I realized that I’m transgender.”

But in Finland, for Sakris to be legally recognised as a man, he would need to go through rigorous psychiatric analysis - and enforced sterilization.

“I remember the moment when I realized that I should be sterile in order to change my legal gender. It was devastating, and I was just a child. I knew that, according to the government, I should not have the right to even potentially have children. It felt awful. I felt alien, like a freak. It felt like I was categorized subhuman based on my gender identity. I felt sick."

"Because of my work advocating for the rights of trans people, I have faced harassment, intimidation, threats of violent beatings, and open hostility."

As a celebration of Sakris' courage and commitment to creating a more equal world, renowned artist Ricky Lee Gordon has dedicated a mural to him at the Nuart Festival in Norway.

Sakris' bravery is inspiring. And with just 10 seconds of your time, you can join him and demand the Finnish government respect the rights of transgender people and change their laws.